Woman accused of battery against KU’s Bragg changed story, according to affidavit

Kansas student Saleeha Soofi, accused of battery against KU basketball player Carlton Bragg, changed her description of the events that took place in the early morning hours of Dec. 9 as the investigation unfolded, according to an arrest affidavit filed in Douglas County District Court.

According to the affidavit, Soofi, 19, told the reporting officer she had been in an argument with her boyfriend, saying that she’d been punched in the face, which had caused her to fall down a staircase. According to the document, she complained of sore ribs and pain in her right arm, with the officer seeing a raised bruise on her right elbow.

She later told police she may have been pushed instead of punched, the affidavit says, which caused her to fall down the stairs.

The affidavit later details what was seen by police when they watched surveillance video obtained from KU’s Delta Upsilon fraternity. According to the document, the incident between Bragg and Soofi went from 12:54 a.m. to 1:02 a.m., with police reporting the video showed that Bragg stood against the wall with his head down for most of the argument.

The report states that according to the video, Soofi shoved Bragg several times in the chest, and on two occasions, placed her left hand near Bragg’s neck while appearing to push him against the wall. While talking to police the afternoon after the argument, according to the arrest affidavit, Soofi said she was swearing and pointing her finger at Bragg and “admitted she was angry” when she felt Bragg was not paying attention to her, “so she pushed him in the chest.”

According to the affidavit, at 12:58 a.m., the video shows that “after being punched or shoved by Soofi, Bragg removes his hands from the pockets of the hooded sweat shirt and with both hands shoves Soofi in the upper torso. This shove causes Soofi to fall backward onto steps leading up from the landing.”

The video, according to the document, then showed Soofi remained on the step and floor for nearly a minute before walking up the stairs and out of sight. At 1:02, as she exited the stairwell, the video showed she slapped Bragg in the shoulder with her left hand, according to the affidavit. The surveillance system did not record audio, the document states.

The Star has requested a copy of the surveillance video through the district court clerk. Soofi’s lawyers did not return phone calls seeking comment Thursday but issued a statement on Monday saying it would be premature for them to comment at this point.